For a parents' anniversary, the gift that beats flowers and a restaurant voucher is an evening they spend making something together. A make your own kit gives them a shared task with a proper result: a bottle of gin they infused between them, a ball of mozzarella one stretched while the other drained the curds, or six bottles of country wine with the date of the anniversary written on the labels. It costs them an evening rather than a night out, and it produces something they can open on the next anniversary.
Thirty, forty or fifty years in, most couples have the house sorted and the ornaments chosen. What they are usually short of is a reason to stand in the kitchen doing something new at the same time.
Why does a shared project beat a shared meal?
A meal out is pleasant and over. A project has a before and after, and it leaves a physical object with a date attached to it, which is exactly what an anniversary present is supposed to do. It is also a rare thing for a couple who have been together decades to be equally bad at something, which turns out to be very good company.
Practically, it suits people who do not want to be organised. There is no table to book, no taxi, no getting changed. The box sits in the cupboard until a free evening appears, and our kits come with the ingredients measured out and a printed booklet, so nothing has to be researched first. Whichever one you choose, there is a natural division of labour in it, which is more than can be said for most anniversary gifts.
The gin kit, for an anniversary bottle with both their names on it
The Gin Making Kit turns an ordinary bottle of vodka into a London style gin by steeping juniper with coriander, citrus peel, allspice and lemongrass. It infuses in under a week, and the shared part is the tasting: they try it with the pipette as the days pass and argue politely about whether it is ready, then strain it when it suits them both.
The result is one bottle, tuned to two palates, with a tag they write themselves. Put the anniversary date on it. It is also the kit that was named a top pick on ITV's How to Spend It Well at Christmas, where chef Matt Tebbutt tasted it, which usually reassures anyone expecting something rough. What to add: a 700ml bottle of inexpensive vodka. Supermarket own brand is genuinely right, since a premium vodka's character disappears under the juniper, and a smart swing top bottle to decant the finished gin into makes it look like a proper anniversary present. For adults aged 18 and over.
The cheese kit, for an evening with two jobs in it
Cheese making is the most naturally two handed thing we sell. The Cheese Making Kit, Cheeses of the World covers ten fresh cheeses including mozzarella, halloumi, paneer, ricotta, mascarpone, chevre and burrata, with vegetarian rennet, citric acid, cheese salt, a thermometer, moulds and cheesecloth in the box, and most of them are ready in about an hour.
One person watches the pan and the thermometer, the other lines the colander, drains the curds and does the pressing. Mozzarella in particular wants two pairs of hands, since the curds have to be worked while they are still hot enough to stretch. It is a good evening precisely because it is slightly chaotic the first time. What to add: fresh whole milk, never UHT or ultra pasteurised, which will not set, and a large stainless steel pan, since aluminium and copper react with the acid. Add a bottle of something to drink while they wait for the curd to set.
The wine kit, for a bottle to open on the next anniversary
If you want the gift to last past the evening, the Hedgerow Wine Making Kit makes one gallon per batch, about four and a half litres or six bottles, ready in eight to twelve weeks. The box holds wine yeast, yeast nutrient, pectolase, finings, citric acid, a stabiliser tablet and steriliser, with a recipe table covering blackberry, elderberry, elderflower, apple, plum, rhubarb and more.
The anniversary version of this is obvious once you see it: they make a batch together, label the bottles with the date, and keep one back for next year. Country wines often improve with time, so the bottle they open in twelve months will be better than the one they open now. What to add: a 5 litre food grade bucket with a lid for the first fermentation, a demijohn or second bucket with an airlock for the second, a siphon tube, kitchen scales and some reused screw top bottles, plus their fruit and ordinary white granulated sugar. It is for personal use at home and for adults aged 18 and over.
How do you make it feel like an anniversary present?
Labels. All three of these end with something that can be written on, and a date in their own handwriting turns a kit into a keepsake without a single engraved item being involved.
Buy the missing item at the same time, so the evening can happen when they feel like it rather than after the next big shop. And give them the evening as well as the box if you can: offering to have the grandchildren, or simply not ringing on the Saturday, is part of the gift.
If they are not local, a kit can go straight to their door. Enter their address as the delivery address at checkout and it is posted directly to them, hand packed in Britain and sent by Royal Mail.
Anniversary gifts for parents FAQs
Which kit is best for doing together?
Cheese making, because it splits into two jobs at once: one person on the pan and thermometer, the other draining and pressing the curds. Mozzarella genuinely needs two pairs of hands.
Which one lasts beyond the evening?
The hedgerow wine kit. It takes eight to twelve weeks from fruit to glass and makes about six bottles, so they can label them with the date and keep one for next year.
Do the kits contain alcohol?
No. None of our kits contain alcohol. The gin kit holds botanicals and the wine kit holds yeast and additives, and the spirit or the finished wine is theirs, so both are for adults aged 18 and over.
Is home made gin legal?
Yes. The kit steeps botanicals in a spirit that has already been made, so nothing is distilled and no licence or approval is needed. Distilling spirits at home without HMRC approval is against the law.
Can I send the kit straight to them?
Yes. Enter their address as the delivery address at checkout and it will be posted directly to them.
Marking a big one this year? Look through the whole range of gift kits and pick the evening that suits the two of them best.
